


Take Care of Me

by dreyars



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 02:46:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5691685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreyars/pseuds/dreyars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ushijima blames himself for the fact that Shirabu has a fever.  Shirabu will never let him know that his face is burning not because of the dates they've spent out in the cold, but rather because of the way Ushijima says his name when he's worried.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Care of Me

It all started with a sneeze.

And not even a big sneeze, either.  Not even a sneeze that makes snot come out of your nose and your eyes water and you have to catch your breath afterwards because the sneeze brought on a coughing fit that could start an earthquake.

No, it was just a small sneeze.  A baby sneeze.  One that Shirabu could easily hold in without even lifting his hand to cover his mouth.  He did cover his mouth of course, on the off chance that he might spray spittle all over the arm of Ushijima’s new coat. But he didn’t do that, because it was just a tiny little sneeze, probably brought on by nothing more than a little bit of dust flying up his nose.

But of course, even with a sneeze so small that not a single passerby flinched at the sound, Shirabu’s big boyfriend was concerned.

“Kenjirou, are you sick?”  Ushijima came to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk, causing Shirabu to stumble over himself due to their linked arms. Shirabu had already been walking at somewhat of a jog to keep up with Ushijima’s long stride, so suddenly stopping his quick pace didn’t help him stay on his feet.  Luckily, his big man was there to catch him after he tripped, even more concerned now that he thinks Shirabu is sick.

“I just sneezed, Ushijima-san.  I’m not sick.”  Shirabu tucked his head down, face starting to feel warm under Ushijima’s unblinking inspection.  He felt Ushijima’s thick fingers trace around the side of his face before pressing against his forehead.

Ushijima let out a soft sigh, his breath tickling Shirabu’s bangs as he tried to get the smaller boy to lift his head.  “Kenjirou, I’ve told you before.  You’re allowed to call me Wakatoshi now that we’re in a relationship.”

Shirabu felt his cheeks get hot, warming with the blush that always came when he was reminded to call the older boy by his first name.  “Sorry, Wakatoshi.”

Ushijima nodded, in response to what Shirabu wasn’t sure.  The backs of Ushijima’s cold fingers were still pressed against his forehead, chilled from the light winter breeze.  Shirabu couldn’t do anything more but stare at the center of Ushijima’s chest, waiting patiently until his boyfriend was satisfied enough to continue on their way.

“I can’t properly take your temperature when my hands are so cold.”  Ushijima let Shirabu’s bangs drop back into place before taking a step back to warm his hands with his breath.

“Well that’s fine because I’m not sick. Maybe we should just keep going to our next stop?”

Shirabu reached out to grab Ushijima’s arm, hoping to pull him down the street and out of the cold because if he wasn’t sick now, he would be after spending another second in the sharp wind.  But Ushijima beat him to it, grabbing Shirabu’s cheeks with his big hands.  Shirabu closed his eyes on reflex because feeling the big, calloused palms on his face normally meant that Ushijima was preparing him for a kiss.  But instead of a kiss, Shirabu felt Ushijima’s nose on his forehead, brushing away his bangs once more.  Ushijima quickly replaced Shirabu’s bangs with his own forehead, pressing their skin together as Ushijima’s hands titled his face upwards.

Shirabu’s eyes shot open as Ushijima stood there, holding their foreheads together in the middle of the sidewalk.  Shirabu tried to figure out what was going on in that big head of his, but with Ushijima’s face so close to his own, he could only focus on keeping his breathing steady.  He felt his face begin to burn under Ushijima’s hands,  the callouses on his fingers rubbing soothing circles into Shirabu’s temples, almost as if he was trying to soothe away a headache.  Shirabu was going cross-eyed trying to look at him, eyes flitting over the soft freckles on his nose and the few stray hairs between his eyebrows before finally settling on the short, dark little eyelashes barely pressing against Ushijima’s cheeks as he squeezed his eyes closed.

They had probably only been standing this way for thirty seconds, maybe a minute before someone coughed as they walked past, breaking the trance Shirabu had fallen into while staring at Ushijima.  If a wall hadn’t already been behind him, blocking his means of escape, Shirabu would have jumped backwards after realizing the intimate position they had been in.  Instead, he could only drag Ushijima’s hands away from his face, pulling them down to his shoulders before the taller boy finally straightened his back again.

“Wakatoshi what are you doing?” Shirabu could still feel the acute burn of his blush, the cold wind feeling even sharper on his skin as he tried to keep his heart from beating out of his chest.

“My grandmother used to check my temperature like that when she thought I might be sick.” Ushijima unraveled the scarf from his neck, completely ignoring the stain of blush riding high on Shirabu’s cheeks.  He continues to wrap the scarf around Shirabu’s neck, not minding the way the smaller boy tried to struggle against him.  “You’re burning up, Kenjirou.  We need to get you home immediately.”

“But, Wakatoshi, I’m not sick.”  Shirabu tried to battle with the scarf that was now wrapped snuggly around his neck and mouth, his voice coming out muffled until he was able to undo the knot Ushijima had tied him in.

Ushijima ignored Shirabu’s complaints by wrapping an arm around his shoulders before dragging him off down the sidewalk. “You have a fever because we’ve spent too many days out in the cold this week. It’s my fault.” 

“It’s not your fault.” Shirabu let himself be pulled up against Ushijima’s side, enjoying the warmth that was radiating off of his big body like a furnace. “And I don’t have a fever.”

Ushijima paused, waiting for an intersection to clear as he looked down at Shirabu’s flushed face.  “Yes you do.  You probably can’t tell because your hands are cold.”

Shirabu sighed and rolled his eyes as they began walking again, turning away from the town and back towards his home.  He knew Ushijima would not be swayed now that he was convinced Shirabu was ill, and would accept nothing other than taking Shirabu home and putting him to bed. Ushijima had always been stubborn, and Shirabu knew this.  It was one of the traits he found so endearing about Ushijima to begin with.  But being pushed down the sidewalk to end their date because Ushijima was too stubborn to accept the fact that Shirabu wasn’t sick wasn’t as endearing as Shirabu imagined it would be.

The walk to Shirabu’s home was shorter than normal, the trek cut down by Ushijima’s long stride and a never ending gust of wind pushing them forward.  When they reached the front step, Ushijima allowed Shirabu to unlock the door, still keeping him in place with a hot, heavy hand on his lower back.  Even through the thick material of his sweater and coat, Ushijima’s heat still warmed him as his cold fingers fumbled with the key.

“Are your parents home?”  Ushijima’s deep voice echoed in the entryway as Shirabu leaned against him while he took off his shoes. 

“No, they left yesterday to go visit my dad’s uncle.” Shirabu began to unravel the scarf from around his neck to return it to Ushijima, but he stopped when the older boy held up a hand.

“Will you be alright here by yourself?”

Shirabu swallowed thickly, considering the idea that Ushijima may already be trying to leave now that he had delivered Shirabu to his warm home.  He bit his lip and fiddled with the scarf in his hand as he watched Ushijima observe him with such a gentle face.  There was deep concern in his dark eyes, his worry for Shirabu’s health and well-being more apparent on his face now that he wasn’t grimacing from the cold.  Shirabu didn’t want to be left here alone, not when he was supposed to spend his entire night with Ushijima.

“I’ll be fine when it’s time for me to sleep.”  Shirabu felt his face flush again, knowing Ushijima could see the pink from the way he lifted an eyebrow. “But…I really don’t want you to leave yet.”

Ushijima nodded as if that was the answer he had expected, toeing off his shoes before reaching a hand up to take Shirabu’s temperature again.

“You still feel warm. You should change clothes.”

Shirabu shook his head, sighing as he followed a step behind his boyfriend into his own home.  Ushijima had been here before.  Even before they started seeing each other in a non-platonic way. He knew the way to Shirabu’s bedroom, and was already on his knees rifling through his dresser drawers when Shirabu arrived.

Before Shirabu even had a chance to complain, Ushijima instructed him to sit on his bed, the firm tone in his voice giving the younger no room to negotiate.  Shirabu was still concerned for Ushijima shuffling through his things, looking for only god knows what.

“You should change into something more comfortable,” was Ushijima’s unsolicited response when he opened up another drawer, clearly not finding what he was looking for in the first two.

“If you wanted to know where my pajamas are, I could just tell you so you don’t have to look at all of my underwear.”  Shirabu shivered at the thought of that. Ushijima, staring into a drawer full of nothing but his boxers, clearly not being what he was looking for.

“Nonsense, Kenjirou.  We’re both men, and I know what kind of underwear you wear from sharing a locker room with you, anyway.”

Shirabu felt a wicked grin spread over his face, a taunt forming on his lips as Ushijima opened the drawer that actually housed his pajamas.  “Oh. So you’ve been watching me undress in the locker room, Wakatoshi?”

The drawer snapped shut and Shirabu bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from laughing.  Ushijima continued to kneel on the ground a few seconds longer, his ears and the back of his neck turning a deep red as he fisted Shirabu’s turtle print sleeping pants in his hands.  When he finally stood and turned to hand Shirabu his clothes, it was clear how red Ushijima’s cheeks were as well.

Shirabu turned his face down, trying to hide the cheeky smile on his face as Ushijima hands him his clothes.  He thanks him as Ushijima steps away, the pair of them both trying to return to their once stoic faces.

“Get changed, Kenjirou.  I’ll try to find you some tea or soup so you can have some privacy.” 

Shirabu nodded, knowing the courtesy was simply that.  They had both seen each other undressed so many times that Shirabu had no way to count it, but he still let Ushijima go so they both could recover.  Shirabu decided that if Ushijima was going to be stubborn in insisting that he was sick, he might as well play along with it.  Ushijima had always been a very reserved person, and while he did give Shirabu attention on a fairly regular basis for such a private person, the level of care he was receiving now was more than he ever dreamed of getting from Ushijima.

And Shirabu quite liked being the center of this new found doting Ushijima’s attention.

He quickly changed out of his clothes that still held a chill from outside into the pajamas.  He didn’t even know where Ushijima found these things, not remembering owning a pair of turtle print pajama pants since early middle school.  They were a little tight around his thighs, but he didn’t have a chance to complain as Ushijima returned, carrying a glass of water and a spoon.

“I found the soup your mom left you for the weekend. It had a note.  Did she know you were sick?”  Ushijima sat the things in his hands on the bedside table before walking to Shirabu’s closet to pull out a blanket.

“No, she had just been making soup to freeze for the winter last week.  Since she knew she was going out of town, she left some out for me.”

Ushijima nodded, and gestured for Shirabu to scoot back on the bed.  Once his back hit the nest of pillows he always kept on his bed, Ushijima tossed the blanket over him, making sure to tuck the edges around Shirabu’s feet.

“You have a good mom.”

“I also have a good boyfriend.”

Ushijima coughed, a slight pink tinge returning to his cheeks as he continued to tuck in Shirabu’s legs.  With Ushijima’s soft, dark hair so close, Shirabu couldn’t help but run his fingers through it as he marveled over how absolutely precious his big boyfriend could be.  Ushijima stayed still for a moment, enjoying Shirabu’s hands in his hair until he heard a beep from the kitchen.  Before he crawled off the bed, Ushijima dipped his head down to kiss Shirabu’s knee that was now covered by the fleecy blanket.

“I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be here.” Shirabu felt the bed shift as Ushijima lifted himself off of it, giving one more look to make sure his little boyfriend was comfortable before heading back to the kitchen.

Shirabu slid down into his pillows, allowing the blanket to cover everything below his eyes as he waited for Ushijima to return.  While he didn’t want all of their dates to end up with Ushijima caring for him at home, he decided he quite liked this side of him.  This nurturing, gentle side that only popped out once in a blue moon when one of the animals at school had a baby. This side that blushed when Shirabu said sweet things and teased him.  (This side of Ushijima that would forgive everything Shirabu said the next day if he claimed he only said it because he was sick).

Ushijima returned with a mug of soup and another blanket, probably stolen off of the couch in the living room.  Before joining Shirabu on the bed, he hands him the soup and the remote for the small TV above his desk.

Shirabu scoots closer to the wall as Ushijima joins him, making room on his bed for his boyfriend’s big body.  Ushijima immediately wraps an arm around Shirabu’s shoulders, luring the younger in to lean against his warm side. They turn the TV on to something they don’t have to talk about, and Shirabu drinks his soup as Ushijima rubs his shoulder.

When the mug is done, Ushijima returns it to the bedside table before wrapping Shirabu in a full hug.  His hands are still cold when they brush the small bits of exposed skin on Shirabu’s arms, but his body is a welcome and comfortable warmth.

“Are you cold?”  Shirabu’s voice is barely a whisper, and Ushijima’s response is nothing more than a grunt to tell him no.  “Well, aren’t you afraid of getting sick?”

“Not really.  You haven’t sneezed on me, so I think that’s a good sign.” Ushijima chuckles at his lame attempt at a joke and Shirabu lightly taps his arm with a loose fist. Ushijima laughs again, his chest rumbling as he squeezes Shirabu closer to him. Shirabu could only sigh and press his head to Ushijima’s chest, enjoying the way the sound felt against his cheek.

Their peace was interrupted entirely too soon when Shirbu felt Ushijima’s phone buzz in his pocket.  He reluctantly sat back, allowing Ushijima access.  He watched the older boy’s face closely as he read the message, his chest feeling tight as Ushijima’s face fell.

“My mom wants me to come back home now.”

Shirabu tried to keep his face flat to cover up his disappointment, but he knew his words came out with a whine. “I understand. Do what you need to.”

Ushijima gave a sharp nod in response, thanking Shirabu for understanding before offering to take the leftover dishes to the sink before he left.  Shirabu let him go on the promise that he would come back and give him a proper goodbye before he returned home.

“You should get some sleep, Kenjirou.” Ushijima kneeled on the bed when he returned, plucking the TV remote out of Shirabu’s hands and placing it on the nightstand.

Shirabu pouted, crossing his arms over his chest as he stuck out his bottom lip. “I won’t be able to sleep until I know you’re home safe.”

“Kenjirou…”Ushijima said his name on a sigh, and Shirabu let himself sink down farther into his nest of pillows, making himself comfortable enough to sleep if he wanted too.  When Ushijima was satisfied that Shirabu would actually try to sleep when he left, he began methodically tucking the warm blankets around Shirabu’s legs, just to make sure he was warm.

Shirabu was covered snuggly all the way to his chin by the time Ushijima was done.

“Thank you for taking care of me today, Wakatoshi.”

Ushijima nodded slowly, taking care to brush Shirabu’s hair out of his eyes before checking one last time that he was covered from his feet to his neck with a snug blanket. 

“Of course.  This is what you do when you love someone.”

Shirabu took a deep breath in, his words lost as Ushijima pressed a kiss to his forehead before standing up.

“You still feel warm. If you need anything tomorrow, let me know.  I’ll lock the front door with the key under the flowerpot.” Ushijima pauses at the doorway to Shirabu’s bedroom, taking one last look at his little boyfriend, tucked so tightly into his bedsheets that he won’t be moving anytime soon.  “Goodnight, Kenjirou.”

Before the door closes completely, Shirabu manages to squeak out a soft “Goodnight, Wakatoshi.”

\-----

The sun was barely out the next morning when Shirabu awoke with a pounding headache in a spinning room.  He could hardly sit up without feeling nauseous, an ailment not at all being aided by the violent urge to cough that was bubbling up in the back of his throat.  He tried to gingerly cough into his hands to relieve himself from the scratchiness, accidentally forcing himself into a five minute coughing fit, only ending when he was able to reach the glass of water Ushijima had left him the night before.

Of course, Shirabu would turn out to actually be sick after spending the entire evening insisting that he wasn’t.

Shirabu sat on his bed, head on his knees as he willed the room to stop spinning.  The annoying ping of his cell phone wasn’t helping.  He reached out to grab it, blindly grasping at air during the first swing, and only managing to blindly slap his bedside table during the second.  On his third reach, Shirabu successfully retrieved his phone. 3 messages from Kawanishi (all around from around 4am. Shirabu didn’t even want to know what his classmate had to tell him at that time of night), and 2 from Ushijima.

_Ushijima Wakatoshi : I just finished my morning run. Colder than yesterday. Don’t go outside if you still have a fever._

_Ushijima Wakatoshi : How are you feeling Kenjirou?_

If he didn’t feel so terrible, Shirabu would’ve smiled at how sweet his boyfriend could be in his direct little way. But no, his head was still swimming and the light from his phone was burning his eyes.

_Kenjirou : I’m sick._

Ushijima’s response was near instantaneous, almost as if he had been waiting for Shirabu’s response.

_Ushijima Wakatoshi : I know. Are you feeling any better?_

_Kenjirou : Absolutely worse._

Shirabu rolled onto his other side, facing against the wall as he pulled his blankets back up to cover his chest. Ushijima’s answer was as quick as the first, and Shirabu couldn’t help but crack smile as he let his phone fall beside his pillow.

_Ushijima Wakatoshi : I’ll be there soon. Let me take care of you again._

**Author's Note:**

> First fic of 2016, and maybe the last before my new semester started again. I had desperately been wanting to write SOMETHING with Shirabu for the longest time, so a good way to start off is one of my favorite ships for him. This came from a hc I had that Ushi always checks people's temperatures by pressing their foreheads together, rather than just using a thermometer like a normal human. And also, this is for my friend yamaguchissoggyfrenchfries who reminded me of this headcannon so I could write about it.
> 
> I hope you guys all enjoy this!


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